Ünal Çeviköz

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has dismissed all his advisers appointed before June 4, amid growing calls for a change within the party before the March 2024 municipal elections.

"We express our gratitude to each and every one of them for their contributions to the CHP," the party statement said.

In a joint declaration on Dec. 15, Turkish political parties urged the U.S. to revoke its decision to impose sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

"We reject the U.S. sanctions decision that was announced on Dec. 14, 2020. Turkey never hesitates to take any step necessary to protect its national security," read the declaration.

Two opposition parties in parliament have welcomed a Turkish-Russian deal that paved the way for the cessation of all military activities in the Idlib province of Syria, with calls for the government to take the necessary measures for the protection of the Turkish troops in the field. 

The Turkish Parliament is set to convene in a closed session to discuss the developments in Syria's northwestern Idlib province as the exchange of fire continues to escalate tensions between Ankara and Damascus.

The General Assembly will convene at 3.00 p.m. local time (1200GMT) for its usual weekly works which will be followed by the closed session.

Turkey's parliament passed a motion that authorizes the government to send Turkish troops to Libya for a one-year deployment at their emergency session on Jan. 2.
The motion passed with 325 votes in favor and 184 votes against the deployment. 

Turkey's main opposition party said on Monday it opposes a bill to allow a troop deployment to Libya, arguing such a move would exacerbate the country's conflict and cause it to spread across the region.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) will visit New Zealand, its vice chairman Ünal Çeviköz said on March 18.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent visit to Brussels was positive because both Turkey and the EU decided to maintain dialogue, said retired ambassador Ünal Çeviköz. 

Statements from Ankara regarding developments in Syria suggest that things are moving in a direction that Turkey wants. Take the operation against al-Bab in northern Syria for example. The head of the military recently announced that it has been completed and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been defeated. 

By the weekend, we will have left the big day behind; the 100th anniversary of the World War I killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans will have been marked.